Texas
The Softness of Texas Longhorns Rises Again
OMAHA, Neb. – Oh, Texas. Why cannot you get a thicker pores and skin and cease making your self a goal?
The Longhorns beforehand assured an escalation of that foolish “Horns Down” hand gesture after they whined to the Huge 12 sufficient to truly get it banned. Now they’ve gotten a nationwide singer banned from the Faculty World Sequence.
Zach Collier, a center college historical past instructor at Purple Oak Center Faculty within the Dallas-Fort Price space, was slated to carry out the ceremonial duties in Omaha, however a minor incident following the singing of the nationwide anthem on the Womens’ Faculty World Sequence semifinal sport between Texas and Oklahoma State obtained him instantly canceled.
In a video that we will not embody due to the unrelated cursing close to the top, Collier is seen ending the tune, then turning to a bunch of Cowboys’ followers and rapidly flashing the “Horns Down” gesture earlier than strolling away. In line with Collier, he acquired an e-mail letting him know he was disinvited to carry out on the Faculty World Sequence.
Being a Texas A&M Aggie, it was laborious for Collier to withstand throwing the Horns down. In any case, pointing two fingers on the floor within the SEC footprint is not going to lift even the tip of the slightest hair on an eyebrow, a lot much less a full eyebrow.
Nevertheless, it simply wasn’t the time and the place. The nationwide anthem singer is there to sing on behalf of each groups in a impartial web site setting such because the Girls’s Faculty World Sequence, and having the singer flip round and throw the “Horns Down” proper in entrance of the younger girls from Texas was a bit distasteful.
Had Collier waited till he was within the stands he would have been tremendous. He might have nonetheless sang the anthem on the Faculty World Sequence and climbed into the stands with Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M followers and thrown the “Horns Down” till his fingers fell off.
That being mentioned, if Collier’s account of the NCAA referring to the “Horns Down” as an offensive gesture is true, the powers that be in Indianapolis must suck it up and inform everybody related to the Longhorns to develop a thicker pores and skin. It is not an offensive gesture.
It is genuinely child stuff. Followers are actually utilizing the Texas gesture for Longhorns and turning it the wrong way up to bodily sign “Down with the Longhorns.”
Think about how embarrassing it could be to the Arkansas program if opposing followers began sporting hats with the Hog turned the wrong way up and the college tried to get it banned and switch it right into a penalty as a result of it did not imagine its gamers have been robust sufficient to deal with it.
Even when it have been taken it up a notch and the hog was skewered for roasting, which might be approach worse than something being carried out to Texas, it nonetheless would not be value a thought. At worst, it’d get a crooked grin in response.
Texas has to recover from this as a result of that weak, whiny perspective goes to get them laughed proper again to the Huge 12 in the event that they act like that within the SEC.
Having the “Horns Down” value a singer his gig goes to ensure that not solely will Texas see that gesture thrown down en masse, however it may be emphatic and fixed.
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And if that’s offensive, let’s hope they cannot learn as a result of a number of the shirts Arkansas followers will put on if the 2 groups go head-to-head goes to make their heads explode.
It will be a tough expertise in Omaha for the Longhorns. However, then once more, they introduced it on themselves.
HOGS FEED:
KJ JEFFERSON NOT WHO SHOULD CONCERN HOG FANS
FORMER HOG TOSSED FROM PRACTICE IN DALLAS
ARKANSAS CONTINUES TO CEMENT COLLEGE BASEBALL BLUE BLOOD STATUS
ANOTHER NOTCH IN DAVE VAN HORNS IMPRESSIVE LEGACY
HOW THE HOGS MANAGED TO DOWN NORTH CAROLINA TO RETURN TO OMAHA
DAVE NOT HANDING OUT ANY CLUES ON SUNDAY STARTER
YOU CAN USUALLY TELL BY CONNOR NOLAND’S SMILE HOW THINGS ARE GOING
LIVE BLOG: HOGS OPEN WITH STRONG OUTING AGAINST NORTH CAROLINA IN SUPER REGIONAL
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Texas
Texas at No. 13 Texas A&M gamethread
The College Station editions of the Lone Star Showdown continues on Saturday with the Texas Longhorns facing the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena in the SEC debut for head coach Rodney Terry’s team.
Tip is at 7 p.m. Central on SEC Network and this is your gamethread.
Texas
The stories that defined Texas high school football in the Dallas area in 2024
As we turn the page on 2024, The Dallas Morning News is looking back at the stories that defined high school sports in the Dallas area over the past 12 months.
Our staff considers it a privilege to write about schools in the Dallas area, and our coverage goes far beyond gamers and stats. Every year, we get to tell stories of incredible triumphs, heartbreaking defeats, tragedy, resilience and hope. These are your stories. Thank you for allowing us to tell them.
Below are the stories that defined football in the Dallas area in 2024.
More of our year-in-review
— Boys, girls basketball
— Baseball, softball
— Boys, girls soccer
— Volleyball
— Track, golf, others
D-FW can claim Texas’ best high school football team in an otherwise down year for Dallas
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Myah Taylor’s story —
More 2024 state coverage
— Texas high school football central: 2024 state championship game stories, photos and more
— Gunter grabs third straight crown in dominant 3A-II state title win over Woodville
— Celina routs Kilgore in 4A-I state final, joining elite Texas high school football club
— North Crowley becomes new king of Class 6A with state title win over Austin Westlake
— Celina is a state champion once again, thanks to Bowe Bentley and a little air superiority
— Quentin Gibson broke an NFL player’s Dallas-area record in North Crowley’s state title win
— North Crowley, coach Ray Gates didn’t ‘duck any smoke’ in bold state championship season
— Attendance down for UIL state title games at AT&T Stadium for second straight year
— Full 2024 statewide UIL Texas high school football playoff, state championship results
Player’s death inspires Dallas football coach to finish goal: a black belt in karate
GARLAND — Josh Ragsdale thinks he resembles Will Ferrell.
Not from a physical standpoint, but during karate classes at the 9th Street Gym in Garland. That is where the 44-year-old Ragsdale towers over boys and girls a quarter of his age who are learning the same punches, kicks and self-defense moves — such as how to throw an attacker to the ground — as Conrad High School’s head football coach.
Picture Ferrell’s character Buddy in the movie Elf, except he’s wearing a traditional karate uniform called a gi and doing tornado kicks and fighting instead of making toys.
“I’m Elf,” Ragsdale said. “I’m the adult amongst a bunch of smaller folks, but it’s been neat for me to connect with them.”
— Click or tap here to read the rest of Greg Riddle’s story —
More notable reads from 2024
— First-year DeSoto quarterback Kelden Ryan is rolling ahead of showdown with Duncanville
— Plano East starters had to sit and wait in 2023. It’s made all the difference this season
— Argyle Liberty Christian’s transformation spurred by brotherly bond of CJ, Cooper Witten
— With trip to state title on the line, Denton Ryan’s Quin Henigan was raised for the moment
— Dealt an unimaginable loss, Lewisville star RB Viron Ellison Jr. is focused on healing
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Offensive Player of the Year: Duncanville’s Caden Durham
— With his leukemia in remission, Lovejoy’s Sam Reynolds signs to play college football
— Keelon Russell is latest football star to bolster Duncanville track’s state title hopes
— Texas high school coaches call for rule changes amid staggering number of transfers
— ‘Match.com for high school football’: How Dallas-area teams find out-of-state opponents
— ‘It’s pretty amazing’: How video, data technology is changing Texas high school football
— Legendary Ennis football coach Sam Harrell to retire as battle with MS becomes too much
— Duncanville’s Dakorien Moore on track for Oregon, then NFL, but first goal is a three-peat
— Coaches frustrated with how UIL determines punishment, player eligibility for schools
— Jesuit football ‘Buddy Walk’ tradition uplifts honorary team members with Down syndrome
— Why coaches like Todd Dodge returned to Texas high school football after brief retirement
— After his football career ended, Dallas’ Rawleigh Williams found a different NFL path
— Why Texas HS football dynasties are tough to achieve in state’s highest classification
— How football coaches prepare backup quarterbacks to be game-ready when starters go down
— A family affair: Inside the life of current Cedar Hill, future UT Coleman triplets
— There’s more to Byron Washington than being ‘Big Baby’, DeSoto’s powerful offensive tackle
— Generational Euless Trinity offensive line has size and athleticism
— Texas high school football living up to hype for some of state’s top newcomers this season
— Quentin Gibson’s life-changing senior season helping power North Crowley’s 6A playoff push
— What goes into the inexact science of rating a 3-, 4- or 5-star football recruit?
— With sons by his side, Bill Elliott has Celina near doorstep of state championship glory
— Rivals on Friday, friends off the field: DeSoto and Duncanville players share strong bonds
— The family business: How Riley, Kailer and Cam Pettijohn help anchor the McKinney defense
— How DeSoto’s Deondrae Riden Jr. followed football from the backyard to Texas A&M
— Like father, like son: Dallas-area players with NFL pedigree making impact on field
— Influx of Nigerian-born athletes bringing new culture to Texas high school football
— Which Dallas-area playoff teams are winning with old-school offenses?
— Texas’ thorough recruiting approach creating strong pipeline of Dallas-area wide receivers
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson closing in on passing record, eyeing fourth state title
— Does defense win championships? Dallas-area teams riding strong defenses to state semis
— 2024-2026 UIL realignment: Analysis, district lists and must-read stories from SportsDayHS
— How D-FW high schools host commercials for major brands, from Subway to State Farm
— Texas colleges spend big money on official visits for top high school football recruits
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 Defensive Player of the Year: DeSoto’s Keylan Abrams
— The Dallas Morning News’ 2023 All-area teams, football awards and more— Why Cedar Hill, other Dallas-area schools have been hit hardest by decreasing enrollment
— On Conrad High’s football team, no one will wear No. 12 again. Unless they earn it
— Following in footsteps of NFL veteran father gives Hebron’s Patrick Crayton Jr. focus
— Cameroon native Ben Ebeke catching on to American football at W.T. White
— After late-season injury last year, Plano East’s Travis Agee back better than ever
— Byron Nelson QB Grant Bizjack making own mark in rich athletic family legacy
— Father-son, coach-QB combo living out lifelong dream while leading unbeaten Richland
— Parish Episcopal’s Sawyer Anderson humble as he closes in on all-time passing mark
— When it comes to kicking, Plano East standout Blake Letourneau has been a sure thing
— Professional composure has made Sachse’s Brendon Haygood a record-setting running back
Find more high school sports coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Sign up for our FREE HS newsletter.
Texas
Tips on protecting plants and property as North Texas homeowners prepare for freeze
NORTH TEXAS — In a couple of days, temperatures are expected to drastically drop. This weekend is a good time to get prepared.
Richardson homeowner Stephanie Brownell is now preparing her home for freezing temperatures while it’s still pleasant outside.
“I don’t like cold weather, so I’ve come out and I wrapped all my faucets and then put covers on them,” she said.
She’s also moved all her potted tropical plants inside.
“So for this freeze you’re going to want to bring in anything that’s tropical, tender vegetation such as house plants, and things like that,” Fort Worth Botanic Garden Senior Director of Horticulture Keith Brock said. “Most of your annuals will be fine.”
He said based on the forecast, water your plants now if you can.
“Water has insulating quality,” he said. “It also makes sure that plants are not under stress because like water, you want your plants in good shape when we get these kinds of temperatures. I would start no later than tomorrow.”
He said for the most part, outdoor plants don’t need to be covered. However, if there’s any concern based on the type of plant you have, you can always throw a frost cloth or an old sheet on it.
Brownell said her gardenias are vulnerable to the cold. She’s making the preparations now, hoping they pay off in the coming days.
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